From the Archives Edited by Nikolai V. Zlobin Thirteen Documents from the Secret Archives of Iosif Stalin An archival boom is presently underway in Russia. For the first time in many decades, it is possible for scholars, journalists and public figures to gain access to previously private and secret information. Everything is not quite so simple, however. On the one hand, there is neither a legal basis for the procedures of declassifying materials, nor are there workable laws concerning government secrets and archival files. On the other hand, the archives of the central and local organs of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), the army and the KGB were never cleared for research. As a result, many basic facilities still lack, and the researcher has to work with unpolished documents, rudimentary copying machines, etc. Reading rooms are almost non-existent. Since the time of their opening, the archival reserves have grown almost twice their original size and today contain approximately 193 million files. Yet, there are still those who are hindering the attainment of complete access to these files by trying to monopolize the newly opened reserves for their own use. In the last issue of Demokratizatsiya we began to publish previously unknown materials from the Russian archives. The idea of a special archival section was met with a great deal of enthusiasm and support by our readers from both sides of the Great Divide. So we decided to publish the section regularly. Our journal signed a special agreement of cooperation with one of the richest and most previously inaccessible archives—the Russian Center for the Preservation and Study of Documents of Contemporary History (RTsKhIDNI). This was formerly the Central Party Archives for the Central Committee of the CPSU. Within the framework of this agreement the officials of the archives will grant the right to our journal of first publication of the most thrilling and previously unknown materials from their reserves as well as from the reserves of other Russian archives. The journal would like to know the opinions and wishes of its readers concerning this section. What follows are never-before published documents from the personal collection of Iosif Stalin, kept in the RTsKhIDNI (РЦХИДНИ, фонд 558 опись 1). These documents are coming to light for the first time and several of them have not even been seen by researchers. They touch upon Stalin's life as a Bolshevik revolutionary from 1914 until the beginning of 1922, that is, up to the time when he was elected general secretary of the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party, and show a very personal side to the Soviet dictator. In publishing these, we are not attempting to undertake any research, but simply to FROM THE ARCHIVES 107 circulate these new and undoubtedly interesting documents and to provide material to historians and political scientists. Therefore, we shall only make essential and brief commentaries and explanations, leaving analysis to the scholars. Our editorial comments in between original text will be, like the last time with Alexander Kvashonkin's, in italics and between brackets so as not to confuse the reader with the original material. The larger explanations will also be between brackets and in our ordinary font rather than our archival courier font. —N.V.Z. .............................................................................................................................. [Letter 1: From File 53. Page 3. Stalin's letter to Lenin. 27 November 1914. Page 1 with Suren Spandaryan's written comments.] Hello dear Vladimir Ilich! Iosif is visiting me right now and wanted me to send you our greetings. How are you? How are things going? How are you getting along? Write us what you can. We are craving your brilliant words. We shall wait for your letter. —Suren. P.S. Greetings to Nadezhda Konstantinovna and Grigory and all the others. [Spandaryan's handwritten text ends and Stalin's begins] My greetings to you, dear Ilich, my warmest, heart-felt regards! Hello to Zinoviev and Nadezhda Konstantinovna! How are you getting along, how's your health? I am living as before-chewing on my bread [page 2], living out this term. And how is everything with you? At your place things should be cheerier . I just recently read Kropotkin's article—that doddering old fool, he has entirely lost his mind. I also read Plekhanov's article in Rech—the incorrigible, gossipy, old chatterbox! Eech! . and the liquidators with their deputies—agents of the free economic society? Is there no one to fight them?, then may the devil take me! Is it possible they will remain unpunished?! Bring me joy and inform me in the near future when a new organ is in place when these nasty mugs will be lashed thoroughly and tirelessly. If you decide to write, write to this address: [page 3] Tur. Krai [Eniseiskaya Gubernia], the village of Monastyrskoe to Suren Spandaryan. Yours, Koba Timofei asks me to send his sour regards to Gyed, Sambat and Vandervelde on their most splendid (ha! ha!) ministerial offices. 108 DEMOKRATIZATSIYA [The original is in Stalin's handwriting. The letter, signed with his nom de guerre Koba, was written in exile, where Stalin was sent after his arrest in Petrograd in February 1913. His exile was in the Turukhansky Krai (the northern part of the Krasnoyarsk Krai today), until the beginning of 1917. Vladimir Lenin (1870- 1924) at this time was living as an emigré in Europe. Suren Spandaryan (1882- 1916) was a revolutionary, Bolshevik Party member and was in exile at this time. Nadezhda Konstantinovna: Nadezhda Krupskaya (1869-1939), Lenin's wife. Grigory: Grigory Zinoviev (1883-1936, his real name, Radomyslsky), who was a revolutionary, Bolshevik Party member, future Communist Party Politburo member, the chairman of the Communist International Executive Committee. Pyotr Kropotkin (1842-1921), a prince, revolutionary, anarchist theorist, an emigré from 1876 to 1917. Georgy Plekhanov (1856-1918), a revolutionary, philosopher, one of the founders of the Bolshevik Party and considered one of the fathers of Russian Marxism, who opposed the revolution of October 1917. Rech-a daily newspaper from 1906 to 1917, the central organ of the Constitutional Democrats, closed by the Bolsheviks. Liquidators: a part of the Menshevik Party which came out in favor of the liquidation of the underground and the creation of a legal party of the Russian proletariat. Timofei: Spandaryan's Party name. Jule Gyed (1845-1922, real name, Bazil) was one of the founders of the French Workers' Party, and from August 1914 to October 1915 a state minister. Marcel Sambat (1862-1922) was one of the leaders of the French Socialist Party, a journalist, and from August 1914 to September 1917, minister of public works. Émile Vandervelde (1866-1938) was one of the leaders of the Belgian Workers' Party, entered the government in 1914 and in 1937 was appointed minister of foreign affairs and of justice.] .............................................................................................................................. [Letter 2: File 55. Stalin's letter to O. Alliluyeva dated 25 November 1915. Page 3.] To Olga Yevgenievna I am extremely grateful to you, my dearest Olga Yevgenievna, for your good and pure feelings for me. I will never forget your thoughtful and solicitous treatment. I am waiting for the moment when I will be liberated from exile and return to Petersburg and personally thank you, and Sergei as well, for everything. All in all, in fact, I have two years remaining here. I received the parcel. Thank you. I ask only one thing— don't waste any more money on me—you need it yourselves. I would be content if from time to time you could send [page 2] pictures of landscapes and nature. In this damnable spot, nature is outrageously stingy—in FROM THE ARCHIVES 109 the summer, there is the river and in the winter, snow. That is all there is here. And I am foolishly yearning for the sight of nature that is not on paper. Greetings to the lads and the girls. I wish them all the best. I am living as I was before. I am feeling quite well and healthy. I must have grown accustomed [page 3] to this wintry weather. And now the weather is so severe: three weeks ago it reached 45 degrees below. Until the next letter. Respectfully yours, Iosif [The original is in Stalin's handwriting. The letter was written in exile in the village of Kureika in the Eniseiskaya Gubernia of the Turukhansky Krai. Olga Yevgenievna was Sergei Alliluyev's wife. Sergei Alliluyev (1866-1945) was a worker, revolutionary, Bolshevik Party member. The Alliluyevs were a large family. One of their daughters, Nadezhda (1901-1931) became Stalin's wife. Stalin returned to Petrograd in March 1917.] .............................................................................................................................. [Letter 3: File 4547. Stalin's memorandum by direct cable to Leon Trotsky. 1918. Page 1.] 1-1 11:35 a.m. A memo for Trotsky: Brest. The Romanian embassy was arrested last night. An ultimatum was issued by radio fully supporting the glavkoverkh. This report has been delayed for a good reason. The American embassy today has offered to give an explanation. Lenin and I ask you to be there in order to immediately attest as to the results of the negotiations with the American embassy. Things are going well with us as before. —Stalin [The original is in telegraph ribbon. The memorandum was sent directly from Moscow to Brest-Litovsk where the peace talks took place between Russia, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria and resulted in the famous Brest peace treaty. In December 1917 Romania invaded Bessarabia and began to disarm Russian troops there. On 1 January 1918, Lenin by radio appealed to the Romanian government with an ultimatum and gave the order for the immediate arrest of the Romanian embassy personnel along with Ambassador Diamandi.